Don Bachardy (b. 1935) is a portraitist who chronicles literary, musical, artistic and film personalities associated with Los Angeles. He was himself the lover of the famous English writer Christopher Isherwood for 33 years, until Isherwood died in 1986. Bachardy studied at the Chouinard Art Institute in Los Angeles and the Slade School of Art in London. He held his first solo exhibition in London in 1961 and from that point on continued to exhibit regularly. Bachardy always works from life and finishes each portrait in a single session, striving for a good likeness through meticulous observation. His work is represented in many international collections, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the National Portrait Gallery, London. In 2007 Guido Santi and Tina Mascara released their documentary Chris & Don: A Love Story. The exhibition My Dearest Sweet Love: Christopher Isherwood and Don Bachardy was held at Berlin's Schwules Museum in 2019, and included nudes and portraits by Bachardy.
